NAO: Government lacks programme management expertise for £103m holocaust memorial

In its report, the NAO found that the department does not have a track record of managing programmes of this nature.

It said that while the department had recruited specialists from across the civil service and externally, the team does not have staff with programme management expertise in senior positions.

The programme does have a board of external advisers – the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation Advisory Board.

Meanwhile, the NAO noted that the department has had difficulties securing planning permission for the project since December 2018.

In April this year, the high court quashed plans to build the memorial at Victoria Tower Gardens. The project originally received planning permission last year after a six-week public inquiry. But earlier this year, the London Historic Parks and Gardens Trust brought a case against the decision, arguing that it was the “right idea, wrong place”.

The government said it would consider its next steps but remained committed to the creation of a new national memorial commemorating the victims of the holocaust.

The NAO’s report warned that the government does not have an alternative location if it is unable to build the memorial and learning centre in Victoria Tower Gardens.

As of April 2022, the department had spent £15.2m on the project.